Mumbai Cyber Safe: Former Ranji & Sunrisers Hyderabad player arrested for impersonating Andhra CM in ₹ 3 crore scam

Mumbai: The Mumbai cyber crime department arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly duping a city-based electronics retail chain of 12 lakh rupees by impersonating Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy,  nearly two months after a complaint was filed regarding the fraud. 

The accused has been identified as Nagraju Budumuru and was recently taken into custody from the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. The accused has cheated about 60 companies of nearly Rs 3 crore using the same method of duping, said an official.

According to the police, in December last year, an employee from the managing director's office of the electronics seller received a call from a man claiming to be the personal assistant of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. The caller said the Chief Minister wanted to have a word with the MD, following which the staff shared the MD's mobile number without any suspicion. 

The accused then allegedly contacted the MD claiming to be the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and asked for 12 lakh rupees from the electronics retail chain towards sponsorship of a cricketer's kit.

According to the police, the accused also sent fake documents in the name of the Andhra Cricket Association and an email id claiming to belong to the cricketer, and got the amount sanctioned and released.

When the electronics company realised that they had been duped, they filed a police complaint in January, which led to the Mumbai police's cyber cell launching an investigation. The police then tracked down the accused to Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district.

Police have also found that accused Budumuru faces at least 30 similar cases in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The police have currently recovered 7.6 lakh rupees from his bank accounts.

Published on: Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 01:03 AM IST